Doha on a good wicket
Doha
• For
cricket fans based in Qatar missing
out on their regular dose of
international cricket will all be a thing of the past in the coming
years. The development changes blowing across the country in various
arenas have caught up with cricket too.
And
watching leading cricket players play here would soon become a reality
with Qatar National Olympic Committee (QNOC) having lined up plans to
build a cricket
stadium.
The
QNOC has an ambitious plan to build a 30,000 capacity cricket stadium
in the industrial area, disclosed Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al
Thani, Secretary-General of QNOC, here yesterday.
“We
have identified land in Industrial Area for the cricket stadium and
negotiations are going on with the company who will build the stadium
under the BOT (build, operate and transfer) agreement. The modalities
are being worked out. “The stadium will be a state-of-the-art building
and is to be built keeping in mind the interests of the Asian
expatriates who love the game.”
“As
expatriates are interested in cricket, the sport should be promoted by
building new infrastructure, felt the Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
Al Thani,” said Saoud.
The
QNOC’s plan is not just restricted to cricket. The committee intends to
promote hockey too. “We intend to help schools with plans to build
hockey pitches at school grounds. The game is popular among the Asians,
Europeans and I hope to see its popularity soars among the local youth
in years to come,” he said.
.